Tickover Time

by Ian H Bruce (2017)



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There's many a mile where through grimace you smile
As the moored boats impose a go slow
Don't fear being late, just accept your fate
And take note of what wise boaters know

It's tickover time, tickover time
A time to slow down, don't you know
It's tickover time, tickover time
A time to slow down, and let go

At the lock there's delays, so moor up, keep away
As hire boaters queue to go through
You may pity their plight, their timetable's tight
While for you tomorrow may do

In a world that's plain crazy, the future seems hazy
As politicians drown in their lies
Those ego-fuelled fools who misguide and misrule
Don't share the same values as I

Life isn't a race, so chill out, drop your pace
Take a break and breathe deep the fresh air
Beauty abounds if you just look around
So gongoozle, that's stop and just stare

My boat is my home and wherever I roam
Simple pleasures are all that I need
So a word to the wise, don't let blood pressure rise
You'll live longer if you just kill your speed

For too many moored boaters the need to shout 'Slow Down' at passing boats seems a Pavlovian response rather than one based on observation. While shouting back or ignoring these people I always felt that maybe I was in the wrong and could have gone slower. On my current boat there is a setting which I select whenever I'm passing moored boats so I can be sure I am going as slow as possible. This has given me the confidence to feel that I should be immune from criticism and made me a happier person. I can now accept that 'tickover time' is inevitable, stress-free, and that I shouldn't even be thinking of going that tiny fraction faster. The chorus of this song came quickly whilst cruising in the summer of 2017. The verses and tune took a little longer. The recording is just a temporary one until I can produce better.